Laurell Kaye Hamilton is a renowned American fantasy and romance writer, born on February 19, 1963. She is widely recognized for her contribution to the urban-fantasy genre through her two popular series.

Her New York Times-bestselling series, Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter, follows the adventures of Anita Blake, a professional zombie raiser, vampire executioner, and supernatural consultant for the police. This series encompasses novels, short story collections, and comic books, with six million copies of Anita Blake novels currently in print.

Hamilton's Merry Gentry series revolves around Meredith Gentry, Princess of the Unseelie court of Faerie, who is a private detective enduring repeated assassination attempts. Both series explore the complexities of their protagonists as they navigate worlds inhabited by legendary creatures.

Her works have been acknowledged by several media outlets, including USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and Time, as pivotal to the evolution of the urban-fantasy genre.